Cancer study has bad news for people who drink soda

Sugar is one of the most common items in the average Western diet. It is found in snacks obviously sweet, but also in products that we would not guess they contain large amounts of sugar, such as some breads and salty sauces. Sugary drinks are probably the most common way to consume large amounts of sugar, with juices and sodas being two popular examples. A recently published study has bad news for consumers who regularly drink these sugary drinks.

The study was published in The bmj this week, revealing a possible link between the consumption of drinks containing sugar and an increased risk of developing cancer. This peak in cancer risk was associated with the daily consumption of very small amounts of sugary drinks: 100 ml (3.3 oz), about one-third of the average soda cans.

The study was conducted by French researchers who analyzed data from 101,257 healthy adults from the NutriNet-Health cohort study. These adults were made up of 79% women and 21% men aged 42 at the time of their addition to the study. The participants were followed for nine years.

According to the data, the study found that daily consumption of sugary drinks, including 100% fruit juice and other sugary liquids, was associated with higher rates of cancer, in particular, breast cancer in 693 out of 2,193 cases of cancer, prostate cancer in 291 and colorectal cancer in 166 cases. According to the study, the average age of cancer discovery was 59 years old. Other risk factors such as smoking and exercise have been taken into account.

The researchers found that participants consuming about 3 ounces of soda, juice or other similar drinks had an overall 18% increase in cancer risk and a 22% increase in breast cancer risk. Juices and other sugary drinks were associated with an increased overall cancer risk, but links with specific types of cancers were not found or too few cases were present in the study to allow determinations.

Artificially sweetened beverages did not have the same association of cancer risk, but there may not be enough data to make an adequate assessment of this risk. The researchers found that some chemical additives in these beverages could play a role in increasing the risk of cancer, but sugar seemed to be the main factor.

This is not the first study we have seen linking cancer and sweets. In March, for example, a study found that excessive consumption of sugar could promote the emergence of different cancers.